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Who Needs Health Care Reform?

Robert Cohen, 57, Venice Family Clinic patient. Photo: Margaret Molloy

We all do. Story on Page 2.

We all do.

Who Needs Health Care Reform?

Robert Cohen, 57, is like most entrepreneurs. He eats, sleeps, and breathes hisbusiness—a limousine service, with three cars and three drivers—and visualizes the daywhen his hard work pays off in profits. For now, though, everything he makes goes backinto the business, so he has little take-home pay—certainly not enough to afford anindividual health insurance policy, even if he were in perfect health.

But he’s not in perfect health. He has a history of heart disease and diabetes. He can getinsurance for his business, his home, his car, just not his health. Yet he knows that’s wherehe needs coverage most.

In August, Cohen had a heart attack and was rushed to a private hospital downtown.

“I was very sick,” he says. “Thewhole left side of my heart shutdown. I think I surprised everyone by living.”

He had two stents placed and spenteight days recovering. Then, twohours after he was discharged, he hadanother heart attack and was back inthe hospital for another eight days.

Seeing that Cohen needed regularfollow-up for his heart condition andmanagement of his diabetes, hiscardiologist (Dr. William Cabeen, seepage 3) told him about Venice Family Clinic. Cohen had never heard of a free clinic; hehad assumed no one would treat him if he couldn’t pay.

“Before I went to Venice Family Clinic, I just kept thinking, ‘I hope it doesn’t hurt too badly to die like this,’” he says.

Right away, his doctor diagnosed him withcongestive heart failure and sent him backto the hospital (operated by L.A. County,so it was free of charge). He has been inand out several times since, but still, he’srelatively fortunate—many uninsured waitso long to seek care that they never recover.

“As long as you don’t get sick,” he points out, “no big deal.”

Therein lies the problem. Everyone gets sick. Plus, as everyone knows, the health caresystem needs to do much more than just treat illnesses—it needs to prevent them. And that means seeing patients even when they are well.

This issue is growing in urgency as, in addition to the more than 46 million uninsured inAmerica in 2008,1 an additional 14,000 people lose their health coverage each day.2 Not all lose it along with their jobs. Some lose it because their employers can no longer afford to provide group plans; others because their individual policy premiums have surpassedtheir rent or mortgage payments.

Then there are people like Cohen, whom no insurer will touch, no matter how much theyare able to pay. It’s a reality Cohen knows all too well—he’s also a registered insurance broker.

“The one time someone said theywould insure me, it made me nervous,”he recalls.

But you don’t have to have animmediately life-threatening conditionlike heart disease to be uninsurableindividually. A Venice Family Clinicemployee, who asked not to beidentified, recently discovered this when he enrolled in an alcohol recovery program offered by his group health plan.

“I was an extremely high-functioning alcoholic—I drank with dinner,” the employeeexplains. “But one day I had something of a revelation. I realized I needed help, so I broughtit up at one of my doctor’s appointments. Then came this horrible, sinking feeling.”

He realized his confession was going to follow him the rest of his life by way of his medical record. As soon as he got home from his appointment, he did an Internet searchand quickly found insurance application forms that confirmed this.

One of them read, “If you have a condition, illness, or injury that is listed on the MedicalCondition Rejection List below, you will most likely be declined for individual coverage.”

Second on the rejection list: “Alcoholism (within five years).” Other forms said seven years.Others, ten years.

Robert Cohen, seen here with his Venice Family Clinic physician, Dr. Coley King, has a history of heart disease anddiabetes. He can get insurance for his business, his home, his car, just not his health. Photo: Margaret Molloy

If it weren’t for Venice Family Clinic’s free on-sitedispensary, Cohen would have to come up with more than $1,000 per month to cover the ten medications he takes each day for his heart condition and diabetes. Photo: Margaret Molloy

[ ]

2

“Before I went to Venice

Family Clinic, I just kept

thinking, ‘I hope it doesn’t

hurt too badly to die like

this,’” Cohen says.

You don’t have to have

an immediately life-

threatening condition

like heart disease to

be uninsurable. [ ]

“This is one of the perverted things about thehealth care system today,” the employee says. “Too often, there’s a disincentive to accessing the care you need, because anything you say canand will be used against you.”

He knows he could be—probably will be—inCohen’s situation someday, unless the insurancesystem is overhauled. In fact, everyone at Venice Family Clinic takes the health insurancecrisis personally. They are reminded on a daily basis that their coverage is simply an accident of employment.

And even those who succeed in getting individual coverage will note that almost no private policy covers pre-existingconditions. Yet almost everyone has some kind of pre-existing condition—allergies, injuries, surgeries, infections,headaches, insomnia, the list goes on—that could be used as the basis for refusal of a claim. Without group plans, the number of uninsured, or effectively uninsured, might be double, triple, or quadruple the current number.

It is this shared crisis—not the crisis of any one segment of the population—that is at the heart of the major health care reform bills making their way through Congress. The system is broken for everyone; some just have better luck in it than others.

Meanwhile, Cohen easily could be angry and dispirited over having more than $50,000 in medical bills from his first two hospital stays, but he’s not. He’s focused on getting back to work, on adding to his fleet.

“I know I’m not the only one in this situation,” he says. “I got lucky.”

To Everyone’sAdvantage: the Partnership with Pacific HeartInstitute

Low-income uninsured peoplefind Venice Family Clinic inmany ways—through the website, a friend or family member,an outreach event, or simplyliving near or driving by one ofthe Clinic’s eight sites. Others,like Robert Cohen (featured atleft), hear about it from one of the Clinic’s volunteerphysicians.

“Frequently, the way it works is someone will come herefor treatment and then, as in Robert’s case, their insurancesituation changes,” says his cardiologist, Dr. WilliamCabeen, of Pacific Heart Institute, in Santa Monica. “I and the other physicians here feel we can’t just give up on them. We try to bridge the gap.”

But Pacific Heart Institute doesn’t provide primary care,and it isn’t a hospital. So the referral process works in bothdirections. Venice Family Clinic refers select patients inneed of cardiology services to Pacific Heart Institute,which, in turn refers low-income uninsured patients to the Clinic for primary care and connections to L.A. Countyhospitals. It’s a formula that has been working toeveryone’s advantage since 1991.

“If it weren’t for Venice Family Clinic, Robert wouldn’t havethe resources to execute the therapies we recommend,” Dr. Cabeen says.

Likewise, Dr. Cabeen and his colleagues provide servicesthat Venice Family Clinic’s patients cannot get at the Clinic or through a County hospital—either because theyare not offered or because the wait times are too long. In the last 18 years, Pacific Heart Institute has providedhundreds of profusion scans, echocardiograms,pacemaker/defibrillator evaluations, and treadmill tests to Clinic patients. It has even donated equipment to theClinic, such as EKG machines.

“We do what we can and the Clinic does what it can. You put all that together and things can work out for thepatient,” Dr. Cabeen says.

On the topic of health care reform, Dr. Cabeen is similarly concerned about it working out best for patients.He worries that the profit motive has taken over health careand that current reform legislation might not go far enoughin controlling runaway costs. He doesn’t want “windowdressing”; he wants new policies that truly fix the accessproblems that so many people—not just the uninsured—face these days.

“If utopia was achieved, Venice Family Clinic would stillcare for patients, but people would have a different impetusfor going there,” Dr. Cabeen says. “Thank God it’s there in the meantime.”

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William Cabeen, MD, FACP,FACC, and his colleagues atPacific Heart Institute have been seeing Venice FamilyClinic patients, free of charge,since 1991.

Cohen has more than $50,000 in medical bills, but he’s most concerned with getting back to work. “I know I’m not the only one in this situation,” he says.Photo: Margaret Molloy

1 U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008 (September 2009): p. 202 Families USA, The Clock Is Ticking: More Americans Losing Health Coverage (July 2009): p. 1

[ ]It is this shared crisis—not

the crisis of any one segment

of the population—that is at

the heart of the major health

care reform bills.

If you have already named Venice Family Clinic asa beneficiary in your estate plan, please contact usat 310.664.7932 so that we may appropriatelyrecognize your generosity.

Our Condolences to the Families and Friends of Our Departed SupportersGwendolyn (Gwen) Bauman, Frances Brody, Carole Daly, Kara Meyer Dulan, Dr. Eugene (Skip) Felmar, Sylvia Firestone, MSW, Betty Freeman,Marshall I. Kass, Senator Edward Kennedy, Frances Anna Kessler, Arnold Laven, J. Paul Levine, Karl Malden, Daniel Melnick, Anne Roberts Nelson,Harvey F. Newman, Pharm D, Irving Prell, Doug Ring, California State Senator Herschel Rosenthal, Miriam Schocken, Dr. Harvey Shipper, Linda Sullivan, Raymond “Ray” Watt, Kim Weiskopf

How You Can Help Venice Family Clinic This Holiday SeasonThe end of the year is a great time to make a gift to Venice Family Clinic.Celebrate the holidays with one of these special support opportunities.

Vice-Versa, by Tony Berlant

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Looking for an Easy Way to Support Venice Family Clinic?Include It in Your Will

It’s easy to arrange. It can be changed at any time. And it can help ensure thesustainability of Venice Family Clinic’sessential services for tens of thousandsof low-income and uninsuredindividuals. Dozens of donors havetaken the simple step of includingVenice Family Clinic in their wills, andyou can, too. A provision or amendmentat the time you make or update your willor trust is all that is necessary.

Venice Family Clinic’s Legacy Societyrecognizes those—both living anddeceased—who have remembered theClinic in their wills or other estate plans.

For more information about how toinclude the Clinic in your will orestablish a life-income gift, pleasecontact William L. Jones, Interim ChiefDevelopment Officer, at 310.664.7932 or bljones@mednet.ucla.edu.

Send a Child to the Children’s Holiday MovieNo one would expect children to go without food or housing or education, right? Well, let’s not letthem go without health care either. Help Venice Family Clinic provide a medical home to uninsuredkids in our community by making a donation through the Children’s Holiday Movie. Your gift willhelp send a child to a special holiday party in December, featuring a screening of “Cloudy with aChance of Meatballs” and gifts from Santa Claus. Most importantly, 95 cents of every dollar youdonate will benefit Venice Family Clinic’s pediatric programs in the coming year.

Special thanks to the Children’s Holiday Movie Chair: Rick Bradley

Spread Holiday Cheer with Artist CardsIf you send holiday cards to friends, colleagues, or customers, consider using Venice Family ClinicArtist Cards—limited-edition reproductions donated by Venice Art Walk & Auctions artists andrenowned collections—featuring new images from Tony Berlant, Jean Dubuffet, Donna Ikkanda,and Barbara Schwan. Only Venice Family Clinic has them! Each carries a message explaining thatall proceeds from the sale of Artist Cards benefit Venice Family Clinic. If you’ve been looking for a way to spread the word about your favorite charity, look no further.

Venice Family Clinic’s Artist Cards Program is underwritten by a generous grant from the Frederick R. Weisman Philanthropic Foundation.

Join Silver CircleSilver Circle is Venice Family Clinic’s premier annual giving group, whose members donate morethan one million dollars annually. Join Silver Circle with a donation of $2,000 or more and thencelebrate the accomplishments of this remarkable group at the Thank You Gala on February 1,2010, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Lou Colen will receive the 2010 HumanitarianAward, and the husband-and-wife team of Neal Baer, MD, and Gerrie Smith will be honored withthe 2010 Irma Colen Leadership Award. You may also place an ad in the Tribute Journal honoringLou, Neal, Gerrie, or anyone else you feel deserves special recognition for their efforts to furtherVenice Family Clinic’s mission of providing free, quality health care to people in need.

Special thanks to the Silver Circle Co-Chairs: Dr. Harley and Julie Liker

Make a Year-End GiftSupport a specific clinical program or make an unrestricted gift that the Clinic can use in the areaof greatest need.

Photo: Margaret Molloy

Photo: Margaret Molloy

Silver Circle Co-Chairs Dr. Harley andJulie Liker. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Legacy Society MembersKatherine BardIrma & Louis ColenMayer B. Davidson, MD, &

Roseann Herman, Esq.Sylvia & Mose Firestone, PhDPatricia & William FlumenbaumElizabeth & Daniel ForerElaine HoffmanJoanne Jubelier, PhDMarilyn H. KarstenAmita & Viren Mehta Charlotte Neumann, MD, &

Alfred Neumann, MDJanet PapkinMaida RichardsStanley RichardsFern & Robert SeizerJeffrey SinaikoLeonard StoneIna TillmanBeatrice ZeigerAnonymous

To make a donation or for more information, please contact Venice Family Clinic’s Development office at 310.392.9255 or visit www.venicefamilyclinic.org.

March 22, 2009, to November 6, 2009

Every donor is important to us. If your name is notlisted within the appropriate category or is listedimproperly, please accept our apologies and notifyus at 310.664.7932 so the correction can be made.

Patti Smith Talks and Performs for Venice Family Clinic and KCETOn Saturday, August 1, Venice Family Clinic,KCET, and POV presented An Evening withPatti Smith at the Santa Monica Museum ofArt and Writers Boot Camp at BergamotStation in Santa Monica. The “Godmother of Punk,” as she is affectionately known,indulged 200 lucky fans with a screening ofPatti Smith: Dream of Life, a documentary ofthe legendary rocker, poet, and artist, as wellas a question-and-answer session featuring thefilm’s director, Steven Sebring, and a solo,three-song performance. All proceeds from theevening benefited Venice Family Clinic andKCET. Patti Smith: Dream of Life will premiereDecember 30 on POV on PBS. Left to right: Alison Dockray, Associate Development Director, Venice Family Clinic; Elsa Longhauser, Executive Director, Santa

Monica Museum of Art; Steven Sebring, Director, Patti Smith: Dream of Life; Patti Smith; Mary Mazur, Executive Vice President& Chief Content Officer, KCET; William L. Jones, Interim Chief Development Officer, Venice Family Clinic. Photo: Michael Fuller

$100,000 +Judy & Bernard BriskinThe Eisner FoundationThe Fineshriber Family FoundationRuth FlinkmanKaiser Permanente of Southern CaliforniaWilbur May Foundation

Anita May Rosenstein & Arnold RosensteinBrian RosensteinAmanda May Stefan

Saint John's Health CenterSisters of Charity of Leavenworth HealthSystem Mission Fund

The Skirball Foundation

$50,000 to $99,999Centinela Freeman Community FoundationLouis ColenThe Carl & Roberta Deutsch FoundationThe Dharma Grace Foundation

Chuck LorrePatricia & William FlumenbaumInternational Creative Management (ICM)The Barry and Wendy Meyer FoundationRGK FoundationTides Foundation

$25,000 to $49,999Blue Shield of California FoundationCedars-Sinai Medical CenterDr. Susan Fleischman & Paul KatzSusanne & Paul KesterThe Karl Kirchgessner FoundationSusan G. Komen for the CureJulie & Dr. Harley LikerThe PIMCO FoundationUnited Way of Greater Los AngelesFrederick R. Weisman Philanthropic & Art Foundation

Billie Milam WeismanDiane & Michael L. ZieringAnonymous

$10,000 to $24,999Albert & Elaine Borchard FoundationThe Capital Group Companies Charitable FoundationMargaret A. Cargill FoundationClaneil Foundation, Inc.David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLACarrie Estelle Doheny FoundationThe Richard F. & Eleanor W. Dwyer FundGuilda Daniel-Elias & Dr. Zouheir EliasMax Factor Family FoundationRobert L. FeldmanFriends of the Culver City Youth Health CenterWilliam L. JonesL.A. Care Health PlanHarold McAlister Charitable FoundationMcKesson FoundationAudra & Jeff NathansonKenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris FoundationSawchuk Family FoundationFern & Robert SeizerSunair Children's FoundationJ.B. and Emily Van Nuys CharitiesThe Vons Companies Charitable Foundation, Inc.Yahoo! Employee FoundationAnonymous (2)

Permanent EndowmentsJudy & Bernard Briskin Women’s Health

EndowmentIrma and Lou Colen Physician EndowmentMose and Sylvia Firestone Social Work

EndowmentKarsten Family Domestic Violence EndowmentSadie and Norman Lee Teen Clinic Physician

EndowmentMilken Family Physician EndowmentJack H. Skirball Medical Director EndowmentGail and Irv Weintraub EndowmentFrederick R. Weisman Psychosocial Services

Endowment

5

Co-Chairs Dr. Harley and Julie Liker are pleased to announce that the 28th annual Silver Circle Thank You Galawill be held Monday, February 1, 2010, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Silver Circle is VeniceFamily Clinic’s premier giving group, whose members collectively donate more than $1 million annually tohelp Venice Family Clinic provide free, quality health care to people in need.

In addition to saying thank you to its donors, Venice Family Clinic will take the occasion of the Thank YouGala to pay tribute to three individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to furthering the Clinic’smission: Lou Colen, who will receive the Humanitarian Award, and the husband-and-wife team of Neal Baer,MD, and Gerrie Smith, who will be honored with the Irma Colen Leadership Award.

Lou Colen and his late wife, Irma, for whom the Leadership Award is named, worked together for nearly 30 years to improve the quality of life for low-income, uninsured families in L.A County through VeniceFamily Clinic. Indeed, their persistence and generosity were largely responsible for transforming Venice FamilyClinic from a small storefront operation into what it is today—the largest free clinic in the country. EvenSilver Circle itself, created by Irma in 1983, is emblematic of Lou and Irma’s stellar achievements. It is theClinic’s biggest annual fundraising event.

Since Irma's passing, in 2006, Lou has remained every bit the leader, both as a donor and as a valuedmember of the Clinic's Philanthropy and Advisory Boards. Most recently, he made a $1,000,000 gift to name Venice Family Clinic's new Mar Vista clinic, the Colen Family Health Center, which will open in early 2010.

Neal Baer and Gerrie Smith have supported Venice Family Clinic for nearly 15 years, beginning when Neal,who pursued a medical degree while simultaneously consulting and writing for the television show ER,performed part of his pediatric residency training at Venice Family Clinic. Neal later drew on this experienceas executive producer of the hit television shows ER and Law & Order: SVU, with storylines that raisedpublic awareness of a multitude of medical issues, including the plight of the uninsured.

Neal and Gerrie have been just as supportive privately, serving on various Venice Family Clinic boards and committees—Neal is a member of the Board of Directors—as well as hosting fundraising events andintroducing many friends and colleagues from the entertainment industry to the Clinic and its work.

While most donors give specifically through Silver Circle, the Thank You Gala honors all donors of $2,000or more annually. All Silver Circle members are listed on Venice Family Clinic’s Silver Circle Wall of Honorand receive complimentary tickets to the annual Venice Art Walk & Auctions. For more information, please contact Liza Alon, Campaign Manager, at 310.664.7912 or lalon@mednet.ucla.edu.

The husband-and-wife team of Neal Baer,MD, and Gerrie Smith will be honored withthe 2010 Irma Colen Leadership Award.

Lou Colen will receive the 2010Humanitarian Award at the 28th annualSilver Circle Thank You Gala, February 1,2010, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Photo: Margret Molloy

Venice Family Clinic to Say “Thank You”at Silver Circle, February 1, 2010Lou Colen, Neal Baer, MD, and Gerrie Smith to Be Honored

Major Gifts

Dear friends,

We are on the cusp of something unprecedented in Venice FamilyClinic’s nearly 40-year history. Indeed, it is unprecedented in our lifetimes.

If enacted, any of the major Congressional health care reformproposals (as they exist at the time of this writing, in earlyNovember) will result in one of the biggest changes to America’shealth care system in history, on par with the creation of Medicarein the 1960s.

Many of us, especially those who have been involved with VeniceFamily Clinic since its infancy, are skeptical. We’ve seen the causeof health care reform taken up before, at the state and nationallevels, only to fail. We’re wondering, “Is this really happening?” Yes, it really is happening. But there’s a catch.

We must keep the pressure on.

There are powerful forces at work against reform, the biggest ofwhich just might be human nature. It will take more than just amajority in the House and 60 “Ayes” in the Senate—those voteswill come last. In the meantime, it will take the level of effort andcommitment usually reserved for presidential election campaigns.Maybe more.

But don’t let that discourage you. In this newsletter we haveincluded information to help you learn more about, and campaignon behalf of, health care reform. Please read it, share it, and act on it. And don’t just do it on behalf of Venice Family Clinic and its patients. Do it for yourself.

Sincerely,

Jimmy H. Hara, MDChair, Board of Directors

Jimmy H. Hara, MD, FAAFP, is Lead Physician for Community Benefit for KaiserPermanente Southern California and Residency Program Director for the FamilyMedicine Residency at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles. He is also a ClinicalProfessor of Family Medicine for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.In addition, Dr. Hara is Chair of the Healthcare Workforce Policy (Song-Brown)Commission for the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. He has been a volunteer physician at Venice Family Clinic since 1971.

How many people in America are uninsured?Estimates vary and are subject to some interpretation, but many, including that from the 2008 U.S. census, putthe number at nearly 47 million, which is roughly 16% of the population. (It is difficult to arrive at a precisenumber since people are continuously gaining and/or losing their coverage.) This number has implications foreveryone. Hospitals, for example, charge higher rates to people who can pay for their care to help offset the costof visits made by those who can’t.

Is health care reform just about helping everyone get (and keep) insurance?No. In addition to health insurance being hard to come by, health care costs are out of control; the quality of care is suffering; prevention is poorly funded; and primary care doctors are in short supply. In addition, eventhose who have insurance are not guaranteed to find doctors who will treat them, since insurance plans are notuniversally accepted.

Who are the major stakeholders in health care reform?It is safe to say that every American, as a patient or consumer, has a stake in health care reform. But some have a larger or more complicated stake than others. Doctors, nurses, and other health care workers make their livingpracticing medicine, and, besides wanting to see patients get the care they need, they want to know that theywon’t be put out of business by reform or the lack thereof. There are also hospitals, drug companies, equipmentmanufacturers, insurers, and unions, each of which has its own unique set of interests.

How much does America spend on health care annually?It is estimated that national spending on health care will reach $2.5 trillion, or 17.6% of gross domestic product(GDP), in 2009. (GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced in the United States annually.)But as staggering as these aggregate numbers are, they tell only a fraction of the story. Health spending is risingfaster than GDP; health insurance is the fastest growing expense for employers; medical debt is the leading causeof personal bankruptcy; and, over the last decade, the cost of employer-sponsored health plans has increasedmore than 130%. In other words, as bad as it is, the situation is getting worse.

How did the United States end up with an employer-based health insurance system?During World War II, the National War Labor Board—a government agency—enacted a wage freeze to helpprevent labor disputes that might hurt the war effort. The wage freeze did not apply to fringe benefits, however,so employers began offering health insurance to attract employees. That system remains in place today, withmore than 58% of Americans in 2008 still receiving their health insurance through their employers. Such asystem is problematic since so many other countries’ citizens are covered by single-payer (i.e. government-run)plans financed by income taxes, meaning American businesses often shoulder costs that employers in othercountries do not. This has caused many employers in the U.S. to drop their group health plans to remaincompetitive globally.

What do the leading Congressional health care reformproposals have in common?While their means can vary considerably, each of the majorCongressional health care reform proposals offer numerous changes,including a mandate requiring individuals to purchase coverage; a mandate requiring employers to provide coverage to their employees; subsidies to individuals and employers to help thempurchase coverage; expansion of public health insurance programs,such as Medicaid, to cover more of the low-income uninsured;insurance pooling mechanisms to help individuals and small employers purchase qualified coverage; minimum/standardized benefits packages; changes to private health insurance, includingrequirements that insurers offer coverage without regard to healthstatus, use of services, or pre-existing conditions; and measures to control costs, improve quality, emphasize prevention, and facilitate long-term care for the aged and disabled.

One Thing toRememberfrom theBoard Chair

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One of the most important elements of the majorCongressional health care reform proposals is theexpansion of Medicaid (known in California as Medi-Cal). Fifty percent or more of Venice Family Clinic’spatients would gain coverage. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Frequently Asked Questions about Health Care Reform

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What would Venice Family Clinic like to see come out of health care reform? Venice Family Clinic would like to see a health care system that provides everyone with healthcare coverage and access to services. Coverage needs to include a core benefit package thatprovides medically necessary, comprehensive care, including preventive care, early detectionand screening, care for chronic conditions, emergency care, acute care, prescription drugs, and end-of-life care. Pre-existing conditions should not be excluded from coverage, andinsurance companies should not be allowed to drop people who become sick. Healthinsurance needs to be portable, meaning individuals can keep their health plan even if theylose or switch their jobs. Legislation needs to address and build more access to primary health care through expansion of community health centers and free clinics and by providingincentives to increase the number of primary care physicians.

Furthermore, health care reform must be systemwide. Piecemeal reform that helps somecategories of people to the detriment of others would not bring our country closer to anoptimal health care system. Reform needs to ensure that all Americans receive excellent healthcare. It needs to include equitable financing that eliminates cost-shifting across both publicand private insurance programs and payers. And it must include a simplified administrativestructure that reduces variations that currently confuse patients, payers, and providers.

What would happen to Venice Family Clinic, as well as other clinics and health centers, in the event of health care reform?There once was a time when free clinics were seen as a bandage on the health care crisis. Today, however, free clinics, along withcommunity health centers, are indispensible to low-income patients and other health care providers alike. They will play central roles in reforming the system, for several reasons. First, they have expertise reaching individuals and communities that have had the hardesttime accessing health care, such as the homeless and the working poor. Second, low-income communities typically have higherincidences of chronic diseases, and free clinics and community health centers have developed specialized knowledge in addressingthose conditions. Third, it is estimated that medical costs for people who receive their care at a community clinic are more than 40%less than for those who receive the majority of their care elsewhere. In short, health care reform can’t happen without free clinics andcommunity health centers.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OfficersJimmy H. Hara, MD, ChairBrian D. Kan, MD, Chair-ElectAshley Johnson, SecretaryJeffrey E. Sinaiko, Treasurer

MembersSusan AdelmanCarol L. Archie, MDNeal AxelrodNeal Baer, MDRick BradleyLowell C. Brown, Esq.Mayer B. Davidson, MDAime EspinosaMose J. Firestone, PhD, LCSWSusan Fleischman, MDWilliam FlumenbaumChester F. Griffiths, MD, FACSJoanne Jubelier, PhDDeborah LaubConstance LawtonLou LazatinHarley Liker, MD, MBATracey LoebGail Margolis, Esq.Frank Matricardi, Dr PHViren MehtaWendy Smith Meyer, PhD,LCSWWilliam D. ParenteHutch ParkerNeil H. Parker, MDBill Resnick, MD, MBADavid RubensonPaul SabenFern SeizerAlan SierotyMarsha Temple, Esq.Bruce TowerRussel Tyner, AIAMichael S. Wilkes, MD, PhDLeisa WuC. Victor Wylie, MD

Board EmeritusRuth BloomDaniel Hillman, MDKarl A. Keener, Esq.Ruth Moss

PHILANTHROPY BOARDKathleen AikenheadLou ColenMarjorie FasmanRuth FlinkmanHilary & Robert Nelson JacobsGlorya KaufmanSusanne & Paul KesterShawn & Larry KingDeborah LaubSusan Adelman & Claudio LlanosChuck LorreLaurie MacDonaldDenise RichardsAnita May RosensteinCharlie SheenVictoria & Ronald SimmsHarriet & Richard SquireEva VollmerBillie Milam WeismanSylvia WeiszRuth ZieglerMarilyn ZieringDiane & Michael ZieringJanet & Jerry Zucker

ADVISORY BOARDMartin Anderson, MD, MPHGregory G. BakerBernard BriskinSaul L. Brown, MDDavid BuellHenry G. CisnerosLou ColenHon. Kathleen ConnellDave DanielsLucia DiazLaddie John DillRaymond EdenLeah Ellenberg, PhDSuzanne FuttermanLuis GalvezLila GarrettNaomi GoldmanAllan GordonKaren Gunn, PhDDaniel HelbergRoseann Herman, Esq.Marilyn HershElaine HoffmanDouglas I. JeffeDan Keatinge, MDDiedre Kelly-GordonBarbara A. Levey, MD, FACPRemy LevyJulie LikerConnie LinnAl Markovitz, MD, FACPMichael McClainKelly Chapman MeyerRobert MoverleyCharlotte Neumann, MD, MPHRegina Pally, MDKenneth RambergHelen Reid, LCSWJoyce ReyAndrea Rich, PhDBrian K. RosensteinMonica Salinas, PhDMiguel SandovalJeffrey A. SeymourArthur StickgoldKate SummersRebecca Tafoya, CSACJill E. ThomasMatthew A. ToledoCarl Weissburg, Esq.Joseph K. Wright, Esq.

CHIEF EXECUTIVEOFFICERElizabeth Benson Forer,MSW/MPH310.664.7901

MEDICAL DIRECTORKaren Lamp, MD310.664.7648

DIRECTOR OFCOMMUNICATIONSTim Smith310.664.7910

GRAPHIC DESIGNERCourtney Gero310.664.7918

Providing free, quality health care to people in need

In addition to the crisis of the uninsured, America’shealth care system is suffering from a shortage ofprimary care doctors. Meaningful reform mustinclude incentives for doctors to choose primarycare. Photo: Margaret Molloy

Kaiser Health Reform Gateway: healthreform.kff.orgThe Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan, privatefoundation focusing on the major health care issues facing theU.S. Its health reform gateway is a superb source of informationand includes background on the history of health reform efforts in the U.S., a side-by-side comparison of current major reformproposals, analysis of key issues—such as costs, quality, andcoverage—a glossary of key terms, and an explanation of howreform legislation works.

New Yorker Magazine, “The Cost Conundrum”:www.newyorker.comSurgeon and writer Atul Gawande compares two Texas bordertowns—McAllen and El Paso—to learn more about why healthspending (specifically, through Medicare) varies so greatly fromone local health care system to another, with no appreciabledifference in quality. The answers might surprise you. Visitwww.newyorker.com, enter “Cost Conundrum” in the search field, and scroll down to the main article from June 1, 2009, under the heading “Annals of Medicine.”

President Obama’s Plan: www.healthreform.govThis web site is run by the Department of Health and HumanServices to promote President Obama’s key goals for health carereform: to lower costs, to improve quality and coverage, and toprotect consumer choice. President Obama’s plan is the firstcomprehensive presidential health care reform effort sincePresident Clinton’s, in the early 1990s.

Venice Family Clinic’s Facebook Page: www.facebook.comBy signing up as a Fan of Venice Family Clinic on Facebook, you’llautomatically receive content that Venice Family Clinic thinks isimportant to the health care reform debate, such as patient stories,news articles, and videos. Just log in at www.facebook.com, enter“Venice Family Clinic” in the search field, and click the “Become a Fan” link next to the Clinic’s name at the top of the page. That’sall it takes. Updates from Venice Family Clinic will then appear inyour feed.

Learn More about Health Care ReformThere is no shortage of analysis of the various health care reform models and legislative proposals. In fact, you might find all thecoverage a little daunting, so here are some resources to help you identify the major issues and then, if you like, the finer points, too.

Mass H1N1 Vaccination Program UnderwayIn partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Venice Family Clinic is conducting a mass H1N1 vaccinationprogram through dedicated clinics at two of its sites, four days a week.

The vaccine is available to all high-risk residentsof Los Angeles County, regardless of income,assuming adequate supply. No appointment isnecessary, and the vaccination is free.

Walk-ins are welcome at the Simms/Mann Healthand Wellness Center at 2509 Pico Boulevard,Santa Monica, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 5:00 pm and 6:00 to 8:00 pm, and at the Milken Family Foundation Medical Buildingat 604 Rose Avenue, Venice, on Thursdays from3:00 to 5:00 pm and 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Clinics will also run on select Saturdays; please call310.392.8636 for more information.

Venice Family Clinic is following the Departmentof Public Health’s priority vaccination guidelines,focusing on pregnant women, anyone age sixmonths through 24 years old, people living withor caring for infants less than six months old,those 25 to 64 years old with certain chronicmedical conditions or a weakened immunesystem, and health care workers.

Funding and vaccines are provided by the LosAngeles County Department of Public Health. The program is scheduled to run through the middle of January.

Rosa Lopez-Cruz, 20, receives an H1N1 flu vaccine from Venice Family Clinic Medical Assistant Edna Vicente.The Clinic’s mass H1N1 vaccination program is open to all high-risk residents of Los Angeles County, throughthe middle of January. Photo: Tim Smith

Venice Art Walk & Auctions Turns 30 and Celebrates with More Art, Artists, and Artful Destinations than EverIf you attended the 30th anniversary Venice Art Walk & Auctions on Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, 2009, you experienced more than ever before—the biggest Silent Art Auctionever, at over 450 pieces; more artists’ studios than ever, topping out at nearly 70; and more stunning homes than ever, including those on a third Art & Architecture Tour, on Sunday. And it raised nearly $400,000 to help Venice Family Clinic provide free, quality health care to people in need.

How does the event keep breaking new ground?Through volunteers, of course. So save the datefor the 31st annual Venice Art Walk & Auctions,May 22 and 23, 2010, and watch yourmailbox/inbox for more information aboutvolunteer opportunities. If you would like tobe involved in the planning of next year’s Venice Art Walk & Auctions, please e-mailVFCAWVolunteer@mednet.ucla.edu.

Left to right: A volunteer outside the studio of painter and sculptor Michael Giancristiano, one of more than a dozen new artists whose studios appeared on the artists’ studio tours; Jheri Redding commemorated the 30th anniversary with 30 ceramic Venice Art Walk honey bears; and hundreds of lucky winners left the Silent Art Auction with new works for their walls,such as this piece by Bill Barminski. Photo: Janko Woltersmann

Find Us on FacebookYou can stay up to date with all things Venice Family Clinic—as well as third-party content the Clinic findsrelevant, like news stories, videos, and cartoons—simply by becoming a Fan on Facebook. Plus, you’ll continueto receive news from Venice FamilyClinic even if your e-mail addresschanges. Just log into your Facebookaccount, enter “Venice Family Clinic”in the search field, then click “Becomea Fan” next to the Clinic’s name.

8Printed on 50% recycled, FSC-Certified paper

Special thanks to the 2009 Steering Committee:Leslie Adler (Co-Chair), Alison Dockray (Co-Chair), Mary Jensen (Co-Chair), Karen Chu, Amy Coane,Rhonda DeVictor, Lisa Gelber, Deborah Glusker, Michael MacLachlan, Pam Morgenstern, Jodie Rea,Katrina Revenaugh, Ellen Roggemann, Alan Shaffer,Valerie Shavers, Ricki Sherlin, Sandy Singer, Matt Tager,Jessamine Tepper, Jamie Theis, Irene Weibel